Attractions in Fuzhou

On the southern slopes of Mount Pingshan in the north of Fuzhou stands the Hualin Si Temple, from the Tang period (618-907). The main building, the Sumptuous Hall of the Great Hero (Daixong Baodian) built in the Tong era (960-1279), is all that remains of the early edifice, the other buildings having been added during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911).

The Tomb of Lin Zexu lies in a northern suburb of Fuzhou. In 1839 the supreme commander Lin Zexu (1785-1850) confiscated and burned 20,000 cases of opium which the British had smuggled into China from India, and this led to the outbreak of the Opium Wars.

You can walk the hill comfortably in around 1hr 15 mins, it's 1900m high. Along the way, souvenir and food vendors litter the path. Be sure to buy drinks and snacks in the city before you head there as they're twice or three times the price on the hill.

In the town center, 1.5km/1mi west of Yushan Hill, stands Black Hill (Wushan), which has been a popular spot for outings for hundreds of years. More than 200 inscriptions are engraved on its rock faces, the best-known being that made in 772 by Li Yangbing, a notable Tang calligrapher. Of historical importance are inscriptions made by some eunuchs from the Ming period (1368-1644) giving detailed descriptions of their many duties, especially of their work in the shipyards.